Bills bulk up offense by drafting OT Kouandjio

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- First, the Buffalo Bills provided their EJ Manuel-led offense a dynamic playmaker in the NFL draft. Next up, they gave their quarterback some added big-bodied protection.

The Bills opened the second round on Friday by trading down three spots and selecting Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio with the 44th pick.

Kouandjio is listed at 6-foot-6 and 322 pounds, and he left Alabama after three seasons. He addresses Buffalo's need at tackle, and will be given a chance to compete for the starting job on the right side.

The Bills moved back by making a trade with St. Louis. In swapping second-round picks, the Bills also picked up the Rams' fifth-round selection (153rd overall).

In the third round, Buffalo turned its attention to defense by selecting Louisville linebacker Preston Brown with the 73rd pick.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 251 pounds, Brown started 36 of 52 games over four seasons. He's versatile enough to play the outside and middle positions. He finished with seven career sacks, including a career-best 4-1/2 last season, and 21-1/2 tackles for a loss.

Brown provides depth to a revamped group of linebackers with the Bills making the switch to a 4-3 scheme under new coordinator Jim Schwartz. The former Lions coach was hired by the Bills in January after Mike Pettine took over the Cleveland Browns' head coach.

The defense will feature two new starting linebackers after Buffalo signed Brandon Spikes and Keith Rivers in free agency. And Kiko Alonso is shifting outside after a solid rookie season last year.

The Bills have four selections left over the final four rounds to be held on Saturday.

Buffalo's prime focus in opening the draft was improving its offense.

Kouandjio's addition comes after the Bills made a splash on Thursday by trading up five spots to select Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins with the fourth pick.

Watkins' addition prompted Buffalo to trade receiver Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers hours before the second round began. In return, Buffalo picked up an undisclosed pick in next year's draft.

Kouandjio's selection follows the objective general manager Doug Whaley laid out over the past two weeks. It was his desire to add talent on offense to help further Manuel's progress after an inconsistent rookie season last year.

Manuel oversaw a sputtering attack that contributed to 6-10 finish and extend the NFL's longest active playoff drought to 14 seasons. His development was also slowed by three separate knee injuries that caused him to miss six regular season and two preseason games.

"We've got to win games, and to win games, you've got to score more points. So we wanted to improve the offense," Whaley said. "Outside, we brought some weapons in, but we also needed to solidify the line. And that's the plan with drafting Cyrus."

The Bills finished 22nd in the NFL by scoring 339 points. And their offense was limited to scoring two or fewer touchdowns 11 times.

With Cordy Glenn having secured the left tackle spot, the Bills were intent on upgrading the right side. Buffalo was forced to start backup Erik Pears at right tackle last season after Chris Hairston missed the entire season with ankle, foot and back injuries.

Kouandjio's stock dropped in the months leading up to the draft after questions were raised about a lingering left knee injury.

Whaley said the player was cleared by the Bills medical staff, and also noted the Kouandjio missed minimal playing and practice time in college.

Kouandjio started 26 of 35 games with the Crimson Tide. Last year, he was credited with allowing 1-1/2 sacks on 365 pass attempts.

Whaley described Kouandjio as a "prototypical right tackle" and was especially impressed by the player's size.

He is from Cameroon. He was five, when his family moved to the United States and settled in Maryland.

The selection was announced by former Bills receiver Andre Reed, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.